Magners League:After a gruelling midweek encounter with Leinster Michael Bradley has rung the changes for Sunday's trip to face the Llanelli Scarlets in Wales. In total there are eight adjustments in personnel - four in both the backs and the pack - as the province looks to leapfrog Ulster and claim a Heineken cup berth for next season.
Liam Bibo, Tiernan O'Halloran, Eoin Griffin and Ian Keatley come into the backline, while Andrew Flavin replaces hooker Seán Cronin in the frontrow, and David Nolan and Bernie Upton are named ahead of locks Michael Swift and Mike McCarthy.
In the backrow, only Mike McComish remains from Wednesday. He moves to number eight and will be partnered by Ray Ofisa (openside) and Andrew Browne (blindside).
Connacht have it all to play for at Parc Y Scarlets (2.05pm) but the Welsh side are not short of motivation themselves, having endured a torrid season thus far.
There are only three points between the sides after Connacht lifted themselves off the foot of the table with a handsome win over Leinster, but the momentum of both teams could not be more different and Scarlets are now playing for pride.
"We have had a very focused and honest week and as a group got to the core of some issues regarding our last two performances which we have been very disappointed with,” head coach Nigel Davies said today.
"We dropped off the level of performance we are capable of and need to get back on our feet quickly and return where we have been previously this season, particularly in our European campaign which has in the main been really positive given where this group is in its development.
"We are very disappointed with our league position, and while we know we have come close to wins on so many occasions - ultimately the table does not lie.
"We want to put that right this weekend and we know we have just got to put in two massive performances at the end of the season to show people what we are capable of and to excite our supporters again going into next season.
"We need to get some respect back for ourselves as a team and for our support, which has been great this season home and away."
Scarlets will have to plan without outhalf Stephen Jones, who misses the game because of “a minor ankle injury”.
Rhys Priestland deputises outside scrumhalf Martin Roberts, while lock Damian Welch gets his chance in the secondrow and prop Iestyn Thomas is back in the starting XV.
Wing Sean Lamont insists all is not lost for the region and is targeting a positive end to the campaign to lay the foundations for next season.
"There has been a lot of honesty this week, issues were aired, sometimes it takes meetings like we had on Monday to move you on and hopefully we've all taken it on board - these next two games will tell and of course, we are looking to finish the two games with wins.
"The boys want to do that and the supporters deserve it - they have been loyal to us all season. That said, they will be two tough games with two teams that have been on good form and put some big wins together - so it will be no mean feat but we know it's something we need to do.”
Sunday's game could turn out to be season-defining for Connacht and Ulster. Both are on 26 points and, depending on what happens over the weekend, their final match next month against each other in Belfast is a possible winner-takes-all decider.
Last season Ulster finished on 36 points and to equal that they would need unlikely try bonus points wins over both Edinburgh and Connacht.
Scarlets (v Connacht):D Evans, S Lamont, R King, J Davies, A Fenby; Priestland, Roberts; I Thomas, M Rees, R Thomas; L Reed, D Welch; R McCusker, J Turnbull, D Lyons (capt). Replacements: P John, E Phillips, D Manu, D Day, T Knoyle, D Newton, L Williams.
Connacht (V Scarlets):L Bibo, T O'Halloran, E Griffin, T Nathan; B Tuohy, I Keatley, C O'Loughlin; R Loughney, A Flavin, R Morris; D Nolan, B Upton; A Browne, R Ofisa, M McComish. Replacements: D Murphy, C Higgins, E McKeown, J O'Connor, K Campbell, M Nikora, A Wynne